Hose guide for lift trucks



Dec. 23, 1952 w, SHAFFER 2,622,751

HOSE GUIDE FOR L'IFT TRUCKS Filed Aug. 4, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l l6 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY? w. M. SHAFFER HOSE GUIDE FOR LIFT TRUCKS Dec. 23, 1952 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. m4; r52 M. s/MFFM 'Filed Aug. 4, 1949' ATTORNEYS Dec. 23,1952 w. M. SHAFFER 2,622,751

HOSE GUIDE FOR LIFT TRUCKS Filed Aug. 4, 1949 5 SheetsSheet 3 WNW ATTORNEY-5 Patented Dec. 23, 1952 HOSE GUIDE FOR LIFT TRUCKS Walter M. Shaffer, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Towmotor Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 4, 1949, Serial No. 108,532

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in lift trucks, and, more specifically, to mechanism for guiding the dependent portion of the hose employed to supply motive fluid to a power-operated accessory on the carriage during the reciprocation of the mast slide or a similar part of the machine.

In lift trucks of the type in which the movement of the elevating mechanism is approximately equal to the height of the mast it has been the practice to attach the hose to the chains that effect the initial movement of the carriage. When, however, a compound mast structure is employed in order to attain a higher lift, the length of the hose must be increased and provision must be made to support the dangling portion thereof during the periods in which the carriage is retracted and also guide the hose throughout the reciprocative movement of the mast sections.

The present invention comprehends a hose guiding structure for machines of the latter type, the principal object of the invention residing in the provision of a pair of opposed channel rails carried respectively by the lower mast section and the adjacent elevating mechanism and arranged for the reentrant engagement of the intermediate looped portion of the hose. The invention further contemplates supporting collars on the upper ends of the channels to maintain the dependent portion of the hose in aligned relation with the channels and an organization of clamps on the masts for the support of the fixed end of the hose sections.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a guideway which will prevent undue wear of the hose, an assembly which is designed to facilitate a clear unobstructed view by the operator, a structure which is rigid and durable, and a guiding mechanism which is efflcient and dependable of operation.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a lift truck mast and the elevating mechanism associated therewith, illustrating the structure and arrangement of the improved hose guide mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a similar elevational view showing the mast slide in an actuated position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the mast and its appurtenances, a portion of the carriage being broken away and shown in section in the interest of clarity;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the mast, the section being taken on a plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a View in perspective of a fragmentary portion of the mast illustrating the relation of the hose guide channels to the mast and adjacent elevating cylinder.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 3, the vehicle T may be of any well-known commercial type, the exemplary form embodying a mast M constructed of channel rails HI, a slide H mounted for reciprocative movement thereon, a carriage I2 supported by the slide, a load-carrying clamp l3 mounted on the carriage, and a hydraulic lift mechanism H for elevating the slide and carriage. The lift mechanism comprises a plurality of telescopically engaged cylinders I5, l6, l1, and I8, the structure of which is disclosed in my pending application entitled Multi-Cylinder Hydraulic Lift Truck, filed January 17, 1949, Serial No. 71,373.

Since the lift per se forms no part of the present invention, a detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary herein.

The cylinder I6 is provided with a crosshead having sheaves l9 thereon for the support of chains 20 anchored at one end to the carriage I2 and at their opposed ends to the mast channels ID. The function of the chain assembly is to multiply the rate of movement of the carriage during the initial translation of the hoist.

The mast rails If.- are provided with channels 2| preferably of arcuate transverse section and slightly greater in depth than the diameter of the hose employed to carry the motive fluid to the accessory on the carriage. The channels or guideways 2| are welded or otherwise secured to the inner flanges of the mast rails (Fig. 4) and are disposed throughout the major portion of the length thereof (Fig. 1). The cylinder 16 is also provided with similar channels 22 mounted with the outer edges of the flanged portions thereof in opposition to the edges of the flanges of the channels 2!.

The hose sections 23 are connected to a source of fluid under pressure controlled through a valve mounted on the truck for ready access to the driver as is customary in vehicles of this type. The portion of each hose section leading from the control valve is attached to the contiguous mast railby clamps 24, the continuing portion thereof being draped between the mast and cylinder I6 to form a loop 25 while the terminating ends thereof are clipped to the chains and coupled with the accessory on the carriage I2. The hose is formed from a pliable material of sufficient rigidity to maintain the end portion of the loop in an arcuate form during the translation of the cylinder IS. The linear portions of the loop, such as the sections 26 and 2! (Fig l) are engageable with the channels 2| and 22 respectively, the spacing of the channels, the stiffness of the hose, and the clearance between the grooves defined by the channel and the outer wall of the hole all contributing to the preservation of the arcuate form of the end of the loop during the movement of the cylinder. Thus one of the linear sections of the hose, say the section 26, will be stripped from its channel 2| (Fig. 2) during the ascent of the cylinder, while the other linear section 21 will flow or be lead into the channel 22 during the descent of the cylinder. The developed length of the loop 25, including the linear sections 26 and 21, is slightly greater than the distance from the top af the mast to the top of the cylinder i6 when the cylinder is disposed in its elevated position. The upper end of the channel 2| and the upper end of the channel 22 are provided with cars 23 bent to envelop the hose and thus safeguard accidental removal of the linear sections 26 and 21 from their respective channels.

The accessory carried by the carriage may be of any of the various types of mechanism customarily provided in machines of this type. As illustrated, the exemplary attachment comprises a clamping mechanism for handling bales, boxes, and similar articles, the structure comprising a pair of arms 33 mounted for reciprocative movement toward and away from each other, guide bars 3| therefor, and a pair of cylinders 32 having pistons therein which are connected to the arms 35. The opposed ends of the cylinders are drilled and tapped for the reception of fittings 33 which support conduits 34 leading to manifolds 35 and 36 coupled respectively with the hose sections 23 that lead to the control valve for the hydraulic system. When the valve is manipulated for operation of the clamp, motive fluid will be conducted through one of the hose lines 23 to the manifold 35 from whence it will flow to the end of the cylinder that effects the outward movement of the pistons. Readjustment of the valve will cause the passage of fluid through the manifold 36 and the countermovement of the pistons and arms 30. The fluid remaining in the cylinder at the end of each reciprocative movement of the piston will be forced back through the conduit 34 to the control valve where it is bypassed to the storage tank customarily provided in systems of this type.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the guide channel structure as described above will support the depending portion of the hose throughout the entire movement of the elevating mechanism, that the accessory may be operated when the lift is in its maximum position of elevation, or at any intermediate point, that there will be no appreciable wear on the side walls of the hose, and that the organization of hose guide and supporting members will prevent entanglement and accidental fracture of the hose sections.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining, that a plurality of sets of hose sections may be supported in the same manner as above described, and that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination with a lift truck embodying a mast, a vertically reciprocable cylinder, a carriage attached thereto, a fluid-operated grab mechanism on the carriage, and a resilient hose connected thereto having a portion thereof supported by the cylinder, means for guiding the unsupported portion of the hose during the reciprocative movement of the cylinder comprising a channel secured to the mast, a second channel secured to the cylinder, the dependent unsupported portion of the hose being draped between the mast and cylinder in the form of an elongated p embodying linear sections, and an intermediate arcuate section and rings on the channels surrounding the hose for the retention of the contiguou linear portions of the hose within the channels.

2. In combination with a lift truck embodying a mast, a vertically reciprocable cylinder, a. carriage attached thereto, a fluid-operated grab mechanism on the carriage, and a resilient hose connected thereto having a portion thereof supported by the cylinder, means for guiding the unsupported portion of the hose during the reciprocative movement of the cylinder comprising a channel secured to the mast, a second channel secured to the cylinder, the dependent unsupported portion of the hose being disposed between the channels in the form of a loop embodying linear sections and a curved end section, the resiliency of the hose effecting the seated engagement of the linear sections in said channels.

3. In a lift truck embodying a mast, a piston cylinder elevating mechanism associated therewith, a carriage connected to said piston cylinder elevating mechanism, a hydraulic pump, a fluid actuated device on the carriage, and hose sections leading from the pump to said fluid actuated device having portions thereof supported by the cylinder in said elevating mechanism, means for guiding the unsupported portions of the hose during the reciprocative movement of the cylinder in said elevating mechanism comprising a channel rail of a length less than that of said cylinder secured to the central portion of the mast, a second channel of substantially the same length as the first-named channel secured to the cylinder in said elevating mechanism intermediate its ends, the flanges of the two channels rails being disposed in confronting relation with each other in a plane parallel the face of the carriage, and clamping means on the top of said channel rails to maintain the contiguous portion of the hose within the channels.

4. In a, lift truck embodying a mast, a vertically reciprocable cylinder associated therewith, a carriage connected thereto, and a fluid operated mechanism on the carriage, means for the transmission of fluid under pressure to the carriage fluid-operated mechanism comprising a hose section coupled with a source of fluid under pressure on the truck and with said fluid-operated mechanism on the carriage, a channel on the mast for the reception of a portion of the hose, a channel on the cylinder for the reception of another portion of the hose, said channels being disposed in confronting relation in a common plane parallel the face of the carriage, and a clamp adjacent the upper end of each channel for the retention of the contiguous portion of the hose within the channel, the upper end of the channel on the cylinder being disposed in over-lapped relation with the lower end of the channel on the mast when the cylinder is in its lowered position, and the lower end of the channel on the cylinder being disposed in over-lapped relation with the upper end of the channel on the mast when the cylinder is elevated, whereby the hose is alternately received by the channels as the carriage is reciprocated.

5. In combination with a lift truck embodying a mast including telescopic channels, a vertically reciprocable lift cylinder associated therewith, a carriage mounted on the inner telescopic mast channel, a fluid-operated grab mechanism on the carriage, and a resilient hose connected thereto and with a source of pressure fluid on the truck, means for guiding the unsupported portion of the hose during the reciprocative movement of the lift cylinder comprising a guide chan nel secured to the mast with the upper end thereof terminating at a point above the lower end of the cylinder when in its elevated position, a second channel secured to the cylinder in confronting relation with the first-named channel, and. clamps on the upper ends of each guide channel for the" support of the depending lineal portions of the hose superjacent a looped portion thereof whereby the looped portion of the hose will run in the guide channels during the reciprocative movement of the cylinder.

WALTER M. SHAFFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

